The New Kid
by StoppedChaos
Summary: Being the new Kid is never easy. And this challenge isn't any easier for Roxas. Enrolling in a new school and living alone gets him into issues with other students, up until he meets the local hot-headed Axel. AkuRoku
1. Chapter 1

The new kid. Playing that role was never fun. And it wasn't anymore fun for me than anyone else. I was picked on for the first few days, not making a single friend as I trudged through the halls. My brother always called to ask how things were going, but it was always 'not well,' or 'sucky.' The bullies at school were sure having a heck of time with me. My hair, for one, was crazy and it was also the brightest blond ever. The fact that my face was always in a book was no plus. Everything I did seemed to get more attention by the day. The only thing I was good at was writing.

I spent the time alone out on the football field, where I would lean against a tree, knees up a bit. I would place my notebook against my thighs and then against my knees and write. I did it all the time. Not having company made it pretty easy. I would blast music into my ears and hope no one would come up to me. Most days, I even forgot to get lunch.

I had a routine: Wake up, go to school, get bullied, write, finish school, go home. I never really ate at school, just had a pop-tart here or there. I cooked at home, made every meal. I was staying on my own, though no one knew that much about me.

I had a part time job at a local grocery store where I bagged things or cleaned the isles. I had to pay my own bills and rent. My renters knew what my story was, having interviewed me beforehand. My guardian lived down the street, but I didn't want to live with anyone close to me. No, most of my family wasn't nice. My brother, Sora, tried to make me stay with him, but I said no. He lived too close to our mom.

After a month, not much changed. I did homework at the library right after to school for two hours, then walked to work, and did my work. I paid my low rent every month and bought unhealthy food that I could afford. Ramen. If I ever bought nice food, I would make a meal in a large pot and eat it for almost a week at a time.

Two months of school passed before even one person talked to me. A guy, probably two or three years older than me. I was writing, like I always did, and he walked right up to me and sat in front of me. I looked up slowly, seeing the bright green tray on his lap. It held food of all kinds. He must have been a rich kid or something. I felt my stomach grumble. He offered a smile and I smiled back a bit. "Hey there!"

"Hi…" I managed, looking back down and then away.

"What's your name? I've seen you around, I just haven't gotten the nerve to talk to you. You definitely have some interesting habits. But I never see you in cafeteria, or in any of the club rooms at lunch. Is something wrong? The people here have really taken an interest to you." He asked so many questioned that it made my head spin. But people were really interested in me? Strange. I wasn't too much different than these people, and this guy looked even stranger than me, with his bright red, spiky hair and crazy green eyes. He even had tattoos on his face.

"Uh… Slow down a little. My name is Roxas. And I don't really eat lunch, for one. And two, I didn't know that people… even looked at me," I answered, wondering why he had even come over to me. "And I don't mean to be rude… but why are you even talking to me?"

"Didn't I just tell you? I've been wanting to talk to you for _days._ Just haven't gotten around to it," he replied, leaning over my knees to see what I was writing. I bent my knees more so that he couldn't look at the scribbles I called hand writing.

Who was this guy anyway? I heard yelling, and I slowly looked up. Axel was standing up and carrying his tray with him. I looked to him next, seeing a bright smile on his face. He waved back to a group of his friends then looked to me.

"Hey, have this, okay? I know you said you don't eat at school or whatever, but I can practically hear your stomach from across the room in History after lunch," the red-haired guy said, handing me his tray before running off. I tried to call after him, but he was long gone with his pals.

There was so much food on the tray that I only ended up eating half of it. There was no way that he had gotten all of this just for me. People don't just do that. Normal people don't just do that. I put what was left in my backpack so that I could eat it later. The rest of school went by pretty quickly, and I soon found myself at the library, doing homework. I hadn't gotten a chance to thank that guy; he been around his friends every time I tried to walk up.

The next morning was the worst. Walking up to school, someone said something mean, just like always. And that wasn't what bugged me. As I opened the door, someone poured ice cold water over me from the roof. I stood still for a good minute, before turning and running off. I couldn't just go inside soaking wet. That's what I told myself anyway. I couldn't shake the fact that no one liked me, that I had to friends. I took off my backpack and took out my notebooks, laying them out in the sun so that they would dry off.

I was sobbing as I set everything out, even slipping out of my sweater and laying it on the asphalt. Through most of the school day, no one walked up to me. Not a single soul. I would have gone back to class, but I couldn't stop crying. Everything was dry from sitting in the sun and it was all put away in my backpack. But how was I supposed to face anyone?

"Roxas?" I whipped around quickly, hearing a semi-familiar voice. Looking up, I saw that tall, slim red-head. He must have seen something in me because he sat beside me and looked closer at me eyes, which I looked away from. "What happened? I didn't see you in class just now… I just got back from a doctor's appointment."

Was he really worried? I sniffled a bit as I felt the tears rise again. "Nothing."

"Now, come on. I know you're lying, man. What happened?" he asked again. I didn't even know this guy's name, and yet he was here sitting with me.

"Someone poured water on me when I got to school this morning." I closed my eyes and fought the tears away, keeping my head bowed low so that he couldn't see my face. I felt him touch my cheek, cupping it as he made me look back up.

"I got your back. I'm gonna go tell the principal, okay?" I was about to shout no, because no one liked tattle-tails, but his lips were over mine. It was the gentlest touch ever, and I could've pulled away with no problems, but I let him kiss me. And though my eyes were wide with shock, his were closed. He pulled away slowly and smiled. He got to his feet and walked off, waving a bit.

A blush didn't rise on my face… until he was all the way inside the building. I quickly grabbed my bag and ran home. I had no reason to stick around. I called in from work and said I was sick, quickly receiving a 'get well soon' from the woman at the desk.

I just laid around for most of the day until my Uncle called, the one from the down the street.

"Hello?" I asked gently, sitting up and running my fingers through my hair.

"Some guy just called here looking for you. His name was Axel, I believe. He told me to give you his number so that you could call him." My uncle gave me the number, and I simply stared at the paper that had his number written across it. Who in the world was Axel? And how did he get my uncle's number? I called it a few minutes later, holding my phone with my shoulder as I worked on my dinner.

"Hello?" the voice asked. It sounded familiar, but who knew?

"Hi, this is Roxas. You were trying to get a hold of me?" I asked. I always had a professional outlook on things, always hoping for a breakthrough.

"This is Axel! I'm that guy from school."

That guy from school? That kissed me?! That got me lunch? That **kissed** me?!

"Axel?!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey there, kid! How are ya?" I was frantic to say the least. I had dropped my spoon into my soup. I shrieked and grabbed another, longer spoon to fish it out. With it burning hot, I could only throw it into the sink. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine! I just… Dropped something is all. How did you get my uncle's number?" No one in the area beside my uncle had any information on me.

"I bribed the lady at the front office. Twenty bucks and an errand isn't so bad to get a hold of your number. I didn't mind losing a few bucks," Axel laughed. I could hear his smile, and it made me a little jealous. He was a rich kid. He could throw twenty bucks around wherever he wanted.

"Alright… and why does it matter?"

"I was worried is all. You weren't there when I went back with the principal. So when school starts Monday, you best go talk to him. Is that okay? Are you okay?" he questioned. I swallowed a bit and then sighed. Was I? I had skipped school, called at work.

"I don't know. Probably. I'll be at school tomorrow, if that's what you mean." I tasted the soup and put a bit more seasoning in it before turning off the burner.

"I mean mentally. I have the address to your house- I mean, your uncle's, if you want me to come over," Axel tried. I rolled my eyes a bit and put a lid on the pot I was using, letting it cool down. There was a long silence before I answered.

"No, it's fine. You don't need to do that."

To be honest, I hadn't wanted him to come over. I was good at coping by cooking, and I had done a pretty good job so far. I didn't want a reminder of school in my own house. I would have to get homework, and though I knew that Axel and I took the same classes, I didn't dare ask him for the assignments. He would want to force his way over to my house.

"Roxas, I really don't mind-"

"Axel, really."

"Can I come over? Maybe have dinner with you or something? Please? I'm worried about you. Just let me do this one little thing. After that, I'll leave you alone- not that I want to, but…" His voice faded out a bit and I couldn't stop myself from sighing loudly into the phone.

"Fine. I made potato soup… Not that there's a whole lot of it anyway." I heard him cheer and I couldn't resist rolling my eyes.

"Alright! Just wait outside your house! You said you live down the street from your uncle's, right? I have the street, so just wait out on your steps or something!" Before I could tell him to just meet me at the store or the school, he hung up. Very energetic, I decided. I left the soup there, off the heat, and grabbed a jacket.

Slipping it on, I went outside, zipping up the front once I was sitting down. Maybe my shorts weren't such a good idea, right in the middle of winter, but I didn't want to dirty a pair of pants for work. I sat outside for maybe 10 minutes before considering that maybe I should have asked him where he lived.

I didn't know how long it would take for him to get there, so I was a bit anxious. Maybe twenty minutes went by before he was peering around a car and spotting me. I looked up at him, smiling a little in greeting.

He trotted over to me and helped me to my feet. He had his backpack on still, and I wondered why. Maybe he had homework, or something. I didn't ask as we went inside my house, where the heater was. Axel sighed and plopped down into one of my chairs around my dinner table. There were 4, just like a usual house even though I never had anyone.

"It's warm in here," he chimed, making me smile a little. As much as I didn't want him over, it was nice to have company. I hadn't made a single friend, and having one like this wasn't so bad. I made sure the soup was still hot before splitting it into two bowls and bringing it over to him.

Axel had his bright red backpack on the floor by his feet, and he was digging through it like it was Narnia. I saw across from him as he pulled his hand out with an 'Aha!' I wasn't sure what he was up to, but he didn't say anything either. He winced a little and then offered a bright smile. He dropped whatever he had pulled out right back into his bag.

"What was-?"

"Oh, nothing. Let's have dinner, yeah? This looks good. Did you make it?" Axel asked as I handed him a spoon. It was at that moment that I saw how long his fingers were. He should have played piano or something.

"Yeah, I did. Living alone, you learn to make a few things." As soon as the spoon was in his hand, he started pushing the potatoes around in the bowl, sipping up a bit of the broth before deciding that he liked it, or so it looked like.

"It **is** good. I didn't expect a teenager that lives alone… I didn't expect that you could cook," he said. I was thinking about rolling my eyes, but I just smiled a little and went to blow on a potato that I had scooped up. I waited until it was cool to eat it, and I loved it. All the spices and seasoning were amazing in this concoction.

I thanked him for the compliment, but not many other things were said at the table. The occasional question was asked about my house, but not much else. When I was rinsing bowls in the sink was when he asked the craziest questions.

I listened to each one and answered as I should have- the truth. He asked about my living alone, why I lived in that town, about why I didn't just stay with my uncle. All the answers had different stories and different reasons. I didn't want to spend all night explaining these things to him, so I just faced him and saw him digging in his bag again. He handed me a paper with all of our homework assignments. I sighed and took it.

"I told them that I would try to get it to you, even though I wasn't sure if I could. I made it happen though, as you can see. But… I told them that there was a greater chance that I wouldn't, so they don't expect it from you tomorrow," Axel explained slowly, pursing his lips and turning away from me. "Are you even going to school tomorrow? If not, I can swing by and then pick up your homework, then bring you the next set. As long as you stay caught up, I don't think they're really going to care."

I shrugged. I didn't know. Maybe. I didn't really want to go just to get picked on, but I would show that I was weak by not going. What did it matter? I would probably move again within a couple weeks.

"I don't know. I'll probably be out of this town in no time. This is what happened the last time I stayed somewhere, but it wasn't students causing the problems." I let myself grow quiet as I took a deep breath. I would still have to go to school, or maybe I could just start taking online classes so that I didn't have to see people all the time.

Axel had curious eyes going on, and I simply stared back into them, not really wanting to explain what I had meant. So he just shrugged and flipped around in his chair. He was sitting with the seat backwards, arms folded over the top of the chair, head rested there.

"I'm guessing that you've moved around quite a bit. I mean, you've been here for quite a few moths… but there are still boxes piled high in here. I see a box labeled over there- books? Not a single bookshelf in sight." I bit my lip. I wanted to talk to someone, but not this 'Axel' guy. I wanted to talk to my old best friends, back in the town I started in. Axel was reading into me no problem though; I had moved a million times.

"Well, yeah. I'm sure you've seen me reading. And this is the longest I've stayed in a town, but I don't have a way out at the very moment. I was supposed to do my permit tests and then go do driving stuff… get a license. But I'm struggling." I had to be honest, and I hoped that maybe when he knew how awful everything was, he would leave me alone.

"Well, that sucks. I'm sorry. I can help, if you want," he said, making me knit my brows together and turn to him.

"Why would you do that?" I asked, a bit harsher than I intended.

"I told you. I've been really interested in-"

"That's enough!"


End file.
